Leonard slowed LeBron? Shhhh

Leonard bent his knees, spread his arms and never changed expression. He went after James as he hasn't been able to go after Kevin Durant twice this season, and he ended with five steals that fit nicely with James' five turnovers.

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And when it was over, and James had missed a dozen shots and scored fewer than 20 points, Leonard typically didn't say much.

In these moments, being Leonard makes sense.

In these moments, being quiet is smart.

James said more afterward. He was typically cooperative, and when asked about Leonard he complimented him. James called him a “solid” player.

James had gone from scoring 61 points to troubles in Texas, and he shrugged. “Averages,” he said.

There's some logic to that. But as the press scattered, and someone asked James if he thought about cutting off the sleeves on his jersey at halftime, he was quick with a reply.

“Thought about it,” he said.

He then listed games in which he had worn the sleeves, along with his woeful statistics.

“Every time I shoot, it feels like it's just pulling right up underneath my arm,” he said. “And I got no room for error on my jumpshot.”

Leonard could have made fun of that afterward. He could have said that maybe James must have been wearing sleeves last June, too. James averaged fewer points in the first three games of the Finals

than the 19 he had Thursday.

Instead, Leonard said: “I don't like the sleeved jerseys, either.”

Not all NBA defenders have acted this way in the past. There was once, for example, a Denver swingman named Ruben Patterson who called himself “The Kobe Stopper.”

When someone told Kobe Bryant about this, he was incredulous. “Are you kidding me?” Bryant said. “Last time I had like 40 against the guy.”

This gets back to the strategy of silence. Why encourage someone like Bryant to attack? Bruce Bowen, it should be noted, never called himself a Kobe Stopper.

The better story goes back to 1980. Then, with the Spurs heading to Indiana, the Pacers announced a promotion. If they held George Gervin under 30 points, everybody in the arena would get free chicken.

The Pacers placed the responsibility on a talented young player named Dudley Bradley. His nickname, then, was the Secretary of Defense.

Gervin ended with 55 points. When Indianapolis' Market Square Arena closed, it was still the arena record. And as Gervin trotted to the dressing room that night, he yelled to no one in particular.

So there was Leonard, once circling James in the post to slap away a pass, once sweeping his long arms for a steal. If James was tired in Houston on Tuesday, he was tired of Leonard in San Antonio.

For Leonard, it was an anticipated moment. He played Durant well early in the season in Oklahoma City, but missed the second meeting with dental issues and broke his hand in the second game. When the Spurs went to Miami, Leonard was still out.

So Thursday was more than a game against the Spurs' Finals opponent. It also was a test for him. And while he didn't shoot well,

either, he was what the Spurs need against the league's best scorers.

This is likely: As LeBron removed his mask at halftime, and when he said afterward he wanted to cut off the sleeves, the accessories didn't bother him as much as the defender standing in front of them.

“Kawhi was a pest,” Tim Duncan said. “He stuck his hand in there and knocked some balls away, got some steals, contested shots ... we need him to be that kind of guy.”

And afterward he stayed that kind of guy. He didn't call himself a LeBron Stopper, and he wasn't buying anyone chicken. Asked about defending James, Leonard said, “If we win the game, I'm always satisfied.”